


Welcome Home

by Seraph Luray (PastelPanda)



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Also crying Sorey, Because I love to show sads and happiness at the same time, M/M, Post-Canon, Purely Fluff, Seraph Sorey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-11
Updated: 2017-08-11
Packaged: 2018-12-13 21:15:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11768532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PastelPanda/pseuds/Seraph%20Luray
Summary: After so many years asleep, Sorey finally returns home to Elysia.





	Welcome Home

Everything was different.

Sorey couldn't deny that simple fact, with so much evidence before him.  Technology had advanced to levels he could never have dreamed of, with peculiar contraptions he’d never seen nor heard of.  The most interesting of them was a box with a piece of glass on its front, with moving pictures inside that reminded him of the Earthen Historia (“Humans developed them over the last century, they're called televisions,” Mikleo had clarified for him).

Wherever he went, he garnered excited looks from onlookers.  His slumber had ensured that humans and seraphim could finally exist in harmony again, and even as a seraph, people could talk to him and hear the tales of the legendary Shepherd himself.  Mikleo could only smile and watch, occasionally making a playful jab at his partner’s awkwardness.

It was a relief to see that Sorey was adjusting to a world that he he hadn't been a part of for over seven centuries, but Mikleo knew that there was one thing he wanted more than anything, more than even to explore the plethora of ruins in the world, more than to add on to the Celestial Record.

For the few days following their reunion, it remained unspoken, but as they relaxed at the Shaorune Inn together (“It’s on me, consider it my thanks for helping the world,” Uno had told them, wanting them both to just unwind), Sorey brought it up over dinner.

“Hey, Mikleo?”

“Hm?”  Mikleo looked up from his soup, meeting Sorey’s gaze.  There was an uncharacteristic, solemn look in his eyes, and Mikleo knew what he wanted to ask without the words, but Sorey spoke them anyway.

“...I want to go to Elysia,” he stated softly.  “I haven't been there since we went to Camlann.”

“...You didn't pay a visit when you woke up?” Mikleo asked, a slender eyebrow raised inquisitively.  Sorey shook his head.

“The first thing I did was look for you.  I could feel where you were while I was sleeping, so after I woke up I knew where to look.”

“How about we set out tomorrow morning, then?  It isn't far, after all.”

Sorey’s eyes lit up at the prospect, and Mikleo had to hide a giggle when he spotted sparks flicking off of his hair.  “That’s perfect!  We should be able to get there before nightfall if we leave first thing in the morning, so we should get to bed early.”

“Alright, alright.  Let's finish dinner first.  I'll make you some soft-serve for dessert.”

“Woo!”

* * *

 

The trip from Ladylake to the Aroundight Forest was a relatively short one, punctuated with Sorey admiring how much the scenery had changed and Mikleo simply smiling at his enthusiasm.  It warmed his heart to see that while the world was different, Sorey was the same, full of childlike enthusiasm at the world around him.  He found himself lost in Sorey’s amber eyes, shining with the same elation he felt when they first left Elysia and saw the outside world.

“--and look!  The falls carved out a whole reservoir!  It’s so clear!  I wonder how clear the ice looks when it freezes in the winter?”

“It looks as clear as glass,” Mikleo replied with a smile, prompting Sorey to jump slightly.  The water seraph chuckled at how off-guard he was, Sorey blushing lightly before laughing as well.

“We should come here and try that ‘skating' I heard about,” Sorey suggested.  “How long is it until the first freeze?”

“About three months.  I can freeze the water so we can skate after we visit Elysia.”

“Really?!”

The exchange continued as they walked, Sorey’s elation bringing a smile to Mikleo’s face.  The smiles came so easily, with Sorey back in his life, and he found himself bumping shoulders with Sorey every few steps.

As they passed into the threshold of the forest, however, Sorey fell quiet.  Mikleo’s brow furrowed slightly, but before he could ask what was wrong, Sorey spoke up.

“...A domain...”

Sorey’s voice was quiet, but Mikleo felt the weight behind it.  When Sorey went to sleep, Elysia was unprotected.  Gramps was gone, Heldalf having absorbed him, and the blessed domain that shielded Elysia was gone.  The domain didn't reach Camlann, so Mikleo wasn't surprised that Sorey didn't feel it.

“...c’mon, I'm sure everyone will be happy to see you,” Mikleo spoke up, holding a hand out to him.  “The forest path is a bit different now, so it's easy to get lost.”

After a moment, Sorey grasped Mikleo’s hand, allowing him to guide him through the forest.  As they delved deeper into the overgrowth, the domain grew stronger, and Sorey felt a familiar warmth to it, a gentle sensation that he knew his entire life.

Mikleo remained quiet, even as the mist began to dissipate and the golden hues of the sunset shone through the canopy.  Sorey lifted an arm to shield his eyes, giving them time to adjust.

“...we're here,” Mikleo whispered.

Sorey lowered his arm, his eyes opening as he beheld the familiar stone archways that heralded the sacred home of the seraphim.  He drew in a deep breath of the cool and crisp mountain air, eyes falling shut as he took a few steps forward.

The domain wrapped around him in its comforting embrace, and all at once it made sense.  In his vision bloomed a soft blue, gentle as a bubbling stream.  The warmth that felt so familiar to him now made sense, and as Sorey opened his eyes, he looked to Mikleo, who gave him a smile.

“...This is _your_ domain,” he realized.

Mikleo nodded, a gentle breeze rustling his hair.  “...After you went to sleep and Rose became the next Shepherd, Alisha and Sergei got married.  And after Rose died, I came back to Elysia.  A young girl was waiting here for me.   _‘My grandma was Alisha,’_ she told me.”

“And she worshipped you and you bestowed your blessing to Elysia,” Sorey continued, earning an affirmative nod.

“The Diphda family worships the statue in the ruins.  I use it as my vessel.  Over the last few hundred years, I've gotten strong enough that I can leave Elysia and still maintain my blessing for a time.”

“So that's why you can still explore Glenwood...”

Sorey smiled and looked toward Elysia.  Mikleo didn't need any words, and quietly followed Sorey as they scaled the hills toward the village gates.  The goats bleated as the two seraphim walked past, Sorey patting one of the young babies on the head before resuming their walk.

As they neared the village, a mix of weight and weightlessness fell over Sorey, his head spinning from the peculiar feeling.  His footsteps slowed, and Mikleo immediately slowed down accordingly to stay just a step away from him.  They passed through the gateway to the village, and Sorey stopped in his tracks.

The simple huts carved out of boulders.  The elysialarks flying overhead.  The sweet scent of the grass and flowers.  The cool, crisp, clean air.  The seraphim enjoying their endless lives.

Memories of days so long past rose back to his mind.  Memories of hunting prickleboars.  Memories of exploring the ruins.  Memories of ice cream and long nights reading history books.  Memories of stern scoldings that were never without reason or love.  Memories of quiet, starry nights, of full moons and shooting stars.  Memories of flower crowns and feather jewelry.

Memories of _home_.

Sorey’s legs crumpled, the former Shepherd falling to his knees with his head bowed.  Mikleo was at his side in an instant, kneeling beside him with his hands on his shoulders.  “Sorey, what’s wro--”

A sob cut him off.  It was a quiet sound, cut off quickly as Sorey tried to hold back the tears that defiantly rolled down his cheeks.  His frame shuddered, small hiccups and whimpers escaping him.

Words were unneeded as Mikleo gently wrapped his arms around him, rocking him slowly like a child.  “It's okay,” he hushed gently.  “You're home now.  It's finally over.”

A louder sob tore from Sorey’s chest at those words, and while any other time Mikleo would feel pain at the sound, he knew these weren't tears of sorrow, but tears of joy, of relief.  Sorey could finally rest, without the weight of the world on his shoulders.

The sound of Sorey crying so openly drew the attention of the seraphim, of Sorey’s family.  One by one they approached the two, enveloping them in a warm embrace, holding them until Sorey’s tears ran dry and then a while longer, welcoming him back without a shred of hesitation.

* * *

 

Everything was in perfect order, Sorey noticed as he entered his old home.  The shelves were neatly arranged, the books alphabetized and organized by volume--with new additions titled by one “Seraph Luray” (“I thought you might want to read them like you always said you would,” Mikleo excused himself).  The bed was made, the sheets so straight one could bounce a coin off of them.  The fireplace was clean, with firewood stacked in tidy piles next to it.  The dishes were clean as well, all arranged next to the fireplace.  His clothes, folded and stacked on a shelf.  Not a speck of dust to be seen.

And yet, even with such extensive cleaning, the hut still retained the familiar smell of leather and fur, of burning firewood and roast prickleboar, of old parchment and ink.

Slipping off his boots, removing his white cape and blue tunic, and undoing the feather-and-bead tie that held back his now knee-length hair, Sorey stretched and flopped down onto his bed.  The fabric didn't have any sort of musty odor, but a familiar one as comforting as the domain he was engulfed in.  He should have guessed that Mikleo would have slept in his room a few times in his absence.

A knock on the door would have prompted him to get up, but he knew who it was about to stroll in.  Sure enough, Mikleo entered just a few seconds later, clad in his own pajamas.  Without even asking, he settled himself down on Sorey’s bed, in the crook of his outstretched arm, his head resting on Sorey’s chest.

“I missed this,” Sorey admitted, nuzzling Mikleo’s hair as he rolled onto his side and embraced him.

Mikleo smiled, tucking himself under Sorey’s chin with a content sigh.  He twined his legs with Sorey’s, his heels pressed to Sorey’s calves.  Sorey kissed the top of his head, humming softly as the two all but melted against each other.

“Welcome home, Sorey.”

**Author's Note:**

> I like to imagine that after Sorey went to sleep, and after Rose’s time as Shepherd, and all that fun, Mikleo returned to Elysia with so much strength on tap from being a Sub Lord that he could create a domain and provide a blessing to Elysia. That was actually the first idea I had when I was planning it. I might build upon that but for now it’s just here.


End file.
